Chapter 6: Anticipated Win, Unexpected Gain (Part 2)

That same day in Johto…

"Drew, wait up! I don't have the stamina that you do!"

Drew looked back to see May running to catch up with him. In his mind, he was beginning to wonder why he offered to escort May from Azalea to Goldenrod in the first place. While having company was a nice change of pace from traveling alone, May wasn't the best hiking buddy. She took breaks almost every 20 feet, and became a habitual whiner only an hour after setting off from their campsite.

He sighed as May caught up to him.

"Thanks for waiting," May panted.

"Think nothing of it. We're almost in Goldenrod, anyway. Just a bit further north…"

"Aw, my legs are killing me! Why can't Goldenrod have been built closer to the forest's edge?"

Drew said nothing. As he turned to begin walking again, however, he felt compelled to roll his eyes. He couldn't stand her moaning, yet something kept him with her thus far.

To their east was a small stretch of beach as the city came into view just below their present location. Drew was relieved – he wasn't sure how much more he could take of May's complaints. They descended the hill and began the final stretch into town.

As the adolescents passed by, however, May caught sight of an unusual gathering. Two tall men were conversing on the beach. Although they were well out of earshot, May and Drew could see them clearly. One man wore black pants, a blue and white-striped t-shirt, and a blue bandana with a white A-shaped Unown design. The other man wore a black outfit that covered his whole body, complete with a black cap. His shirt had a large red letter R on it.

Both May and Drew were glad they were concealed in the bushes off the road. Who knew what would happen if those guards saw them? The two teens faced each other.

"It's Team Rocket and Team Aqua!" Drew said.

"I know. But I didn't know Team Aqua was here in Johto. What could they be doing?"

"I don't know, but it can't be good. We'd best be cautious while we're in town. There's bound to be more of them in the vicinity. They've probably got Team Magma here as well."

Moving slowly and deliberately, May and Drew slipped out of their hiding place and ran along the road, hoping they weren't seen. They ran the rest of the way into town. Goldenrod was a huge city, but it was strangely empty, considering it was about noon.

Before they could ponder what twisted fate had befallen the city, however, a Magma guard came into view from behind a building up ahead. Drew slipped into an alley and pulled May in after him. They stood silently until the guard passed by. Drew kept watch until the guard was out of sight. Once he became convinced no more guards would pass by for a while, he instructed May to come out of their hiding place.

The town was not entirely empty, they now knew, but something was definitely amiss. Why were Teams Rocket, Aqua, and Magma in town? They didn't know where to go. Everything looked bleak…

"Quick, in here, you two!" a feminine voice called from a doorway a short distance from them. They dashed to the door, and got inside just as another guard came into sight. They turned around and saw that their savior was a tall young woman, dressed in white clothes. Her short hair was a pinkish-red color, and was separated into two pigtails.

"Thank you for finding us, miss…?" May started.

"Whitney. Pleased to meet you. I am the gym leader of Goldenrod City. And who might you two be?"

"I'm May, and this is my friend, Drew. We're Pokémon coordinators from the Hoenn region. We came here to participate in the contest, but something's going on here from the looks of things."

"What's going on, Whitney?" Drew inquired.

"It's a bit of a story, I'm afraid. Do make yourselves at home. Can I get you some tea?" Whitney asked.

"Yeah, that'd be great, thanks." Drew said.

May and Drew sat down together on two chairs in the small room. Other than a table and a chair on the opposite side, this didn't appear to be more than a room intended for entertaining guests.

"Something strange is going on here, Drew…" May said, her tone slightly fearful.

Drew wrapped his arm around her waist to give her support. "I think we'll get through this."

Whitney came back with a silver teapot, three teacups on saucers, a few staples of sugar and honey, and a carton of milk. Though she didn't say so, Whitney was proud of the milk – her uncle, Milton, had a farm just outside town where he had a herd of Miltank. Whitney poured out tea in each cup and handed one to each person. After everyone had received their beverage and modified it to their preference, Whitney began her tale.

"Everything here was fine until a few days ago. Suddenly, there were Rockets all over the place, pickpocketing tourists' Pokéballs and robbing the establishments here and in the underground. If that wasn't bad enough, some thugs garbed in red and calling themselves 'Team Magma' started patrolling our streets and the town's outskirts. At about this same time, some people wearing sailors' clothes and referring to themselves as 'Team Aqua' began closing roadways and waylaying travelers and trainers alike. To top it all off, some group with green hair and silvery outfits took over the radio tower. Here, they're on the air even now!"

Whitney turned to turn on a radio on the counter. After adjusting the tuning and volume knobs accordingly, a raspy woman's voice was audible.

"…Once more, the elite footsoldiers of Team Galactic would like to remind everyone to stay indoors, as it is unsafe to be outside during this time. We shall alert you to any changes in the curfew as they become relevant. It is impor—" Whitney shut the radio off at this point.

"They've taken control of the airways and phone lines, so we've been unable to send for help from the nearby police station. We only get to be out of our houses for only a few hours each evening, and everybody's too scared to do much."

"Who is this 'Team Galactic'?" Drew questioned Whitney.

After letting out a small sigh, Whitney shrugged. "I don't know. They were the last folks to arrive here, and the only thing we've been able to learn is that they come from the Sinnoh region."

May thought a moment, then presented a suggestion to the group.

"What if we tried going for help? You said there's a police station nearby, right? We should go there."

Drew nodded. "Somebody's gotta do something, or things probably won't get any better than they are now."

Whitney spoke after a brief pause. "I…I guess we could try. But I don't want to think what'll happen to us if we get caught."

Whitney opened the door to check if the coast was clear. Seeing that it was, the three exited the house and moved quickly to the north of town, ducking out of sight every time a guard made the rounds. This happened a couple times, and it took over ten minutes for them to reach the other end of the city. Everything seemed to be going smoothly so far. The police station was not far off, and Officer Jenny was armed with several Pokémon and a legion of policemen. They would prove more than enough to get the red rogues off the streets.

Just before they could get out of the city limits, however, a pair of Rockets stepped into their route.

"What's your bus – Hey, what're you doing here?! Don't you know that there's a curfew in effect right now?!" one of them shouted.

"Guess we'll have to teach these runts a lesson in pain, then," his accomplice agreed, and the both called out their Pokémon. Whitney, May, and Drew stood facing a snarling Houndour and an agitated Charmeleon.

May had expected to meet resistance, and called her Blaziken onto the battlefield, where she was joined by Roselia and Miltank. The Rocket duo did not seem concerned about the three-on-two odds.

"Houndour, crunch that rosebush!"

"Charmeleon, use flamethrower on that Miltank!"

"Blaziken, use rock smash on Charmeleon!"

"Roselia, put that Houndour to sleep with sleep powder!"

Houndour rushed at Drew's Roselia and bit down hard on his arm, but was soon asleep after inhaling the spore cloud generated by Roselia's roselike fists. Blaziken, meanwhile, picked up a large rock and smashed it over Charmeleon's head just as the flaming lizard began breathing fire in Miltank's direction.

"Now, Roselia, finish Houndour off with solarbeam!"

"Miltank, roll 'em out!"

Roselia's powerful beam shot from its mouth at its dozing foe, sending the dark/fire type crashing into a nearby tree. Whitney's Miltank began somersaulting towards Charmeleon, gaining speed and force as it rolled along.

"Charmeleon, dodge it and use your ember attack now!"

Charmeleon jumped out of the path of the oncoming ball, and spat hot sparks at the still moving cow. The resulting hit stopped Miltank mid-trajectory. It had been a while since Miltank last battled, so she was hurting bad. Charmeleon sensed this, and began a fire kick.

May had to act fast. "Blaziken, use fire blast!" Blaziken shot a branching figure of flames at Charmeleon, striking just as the cur began sending its flaming foot onto Miltank's head. The dazed fire-type went flying into both Rockets with enough momentum to send them all crashing into some trees. Both guards moaned before losing consciousness.

"Great work, let's get going before more of them show up." Whitney instructed.

The police station was a short distance from where they'd battled, and once inside, they filed the report. May tended to the Pokémon as Whitney explained the situation in town and Drew reported on the presence of patrol guards.

Officer Jenny jotted down each fact as they were presented to her. May could see that she was disturbed by the news but relieved that someone came forth and told the town's woes. Once everything was fully discussed, Jenny rallied her fellow law enforcement officials, and in droves set off for town. Indeed, there were so many of them that none could doubt their capability of emptying the streets, though the main fortifications would need reinforcements. That would come later – the townsfolk had lived in horrid conditions long enough. The time to act was now.

As the last of the officers drove off in their cars and motorcycles, Whitney stood outside with May and Drew. They were worthy trainers, and their efforts should not go unrewarded.

"Hey you two, thanks for helping get that all squared away. I have something for you both. A couple things, actually."

Whitney started by handing each coordinator a small metallic square.

"Is this a…Plain Badge?" May asked. She remembered those nights when she first met Ash. He'd told her about all the adventures he'd had since getting his Pikachu and beginning his journey. Where's the time gone? May wondered. Ash also came to mind as she recalled the origin of Team Galactic. Sinnoh. That's where Ash is…

Whitney smiled and nodded in response to her question. "That indeed is the Plain Badge. As the leader of the Goldenrod City Pokémon gym, it is my duty to give it to trainers that I feel are worthy to possess it. And, as one of the contest hall judges, I also have this…"

Whitney presented May and Drew with a contest ribbon. Drew stood dumbfounded – this was almost too generous a gift. May was thinking the same thing, but before she could speak, Whitney spoke again.

"I give you these ribbons not just because your Pokémon handled themselves exceedingly well, but also I give them as a token of our friendship."

"Oh…uh…T-Thanks, Whitney…" May choked. Drew was too stunned to speak, though both young women knew he was also grateful.

Whitney's smile faded. Her work here was done. Goldenrod needed the assistance of its gym leader.

"I'm so sorry, but I must be getting back now. I have an obligation as gym leader to act in times of trouble. You have my sincerest apologies – I didn't want any of this to happen. If not for you, I may well still be cooped up in that house! I suggest you flee as quickly as you can. If anyone got out of town, they'll surely follow you. Farewell!"

With that, Whitney ran after the long-gone officers. May and Drew looked each other. They didn't know what to make of the situation now. All they knew was that they'd have to get out of town, and fast.

Suddenly, a Magma guard came tumbling onto the road. He fell onto his side.

"Hey, you kids! Get back here this instant!"

Drew and May said nothing to the intruder. Instead, they took advantage of this small chance for a head start and took off down the road as quickly as their legs would carry them. The guard's shouts echoed behind them. He was on their heels, but they ran faster than him.

Both coordinators ran until the guard's voice could no longer be heard. Certain they had lost him, they stopped to catch their breath. Sweat trickled down their foreheads.

May looked at Drew, who in turn caught her gaze. Drew suddenly began laughing at May's expense. To May, Drew looked absolutely pathetic as he stood there, drenched in sweat and laughing. The laughter was contagious, and soon May was also having fun on Drew. The two laughed so hard they collapsed onto the ground. They laughed until their abdomens were sore.

May looked deeply into Drew's emerald eyes. They were wet from tears shed while laughing so hard. But even deeper, May saw a fierceness that she found attractive. Indeed, she had not looked this deeply at a guy's eyes in months. And that green hair indicated a laid-back, easygoing personality.

Drew was lost in the twin sapphires. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. And Drew knew this to be true as he admired May's face. Her brown hair was well kempt underneath that bandana. She's so beautiful…

Suddenly, and almost without explanation, Drew and May leaned in toward each other. Their faces were feet apart. Inches apart. Centimeters apart. He closed his eyes. She closed hers. Their hearts began beating like mad.

And like magnets, their lips touched. This moment was tender-hearted, yet spirited. It was invigorating to the soul. A once strange concept that now felt like an old friend. This…was love.

The teens opened their eyes and smiled at each other as they ended that magical moment. They had each thought it in the past, but never said anything to each other. But no words were needed now. They were safe to be as they were. They were on the lam from their enemies. And in that clearing of the woods, something made itself known to them. It was the newest affection in the world thus far. Boyfriend and girlfriend, each on the great adventure of life. What the future held, who could tell.

The afternoon sun told them they wouldn't reach Ecruteak City before nightfall. Therefore, they set up camp and set themselves up to spend their first night together as a couple.